All Webinars

Mental health and healthcare professionals are faced with the often misunderstood and misdiagnosed symptoms of normative and prolonged grief. Formal education rarely, if ever, provides extensive enough training to accurately identify and treat those who are grieving. Unfortunately, grieving clients are diagnosed incorrectly because symptoms can mimic normative or prolonged grief. The grieving process is often pathologized, or misdiagnosed, resulting in potential exacerbation of the presenting issues because inappropriate interventions are utilized. As a result, those who are grieving are often inadvertently disenfranchised by providers, which can make the professional support they sought to reconstruct their previously shattered identities and worldviews ineffective, and even, at time, exacerbate other mental health difficulties. It is essential to be versed in identifying grief related constructs that may underlie, or even cause, mental health and behavior associated problems.
 

This presentation aims to provide current, research based information on the grieving process, clarify misconceptions of outdated theories, and differentiate between normative and prolonged grief. It also examines the changes in conceptualization, differential diagnosing, and effective, clinically proven interventions that may be utilized with grieving individuals and families. Attendees will leave with an improved clinical skill set they can immediately apply to identify and treat their clients.

The term trauma is used to describe the challenging emotional consequences experienced by someone who has lived through a distressing event. These consequences can involve Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which has been identified as a global health issue, with prevalence rates ranging from 1.3% to 37.4% (and even higher in clinical populations). But what happens when the trauma occurs early in life, and/or involves on-going or repetitive exposure to traumatic events? In these cases, individuals will often experience Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD), and/or dissociative disorders such as Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).
 

As our understanding of trauma continues to evolve, so does our understanding of how to treat it. In this webinar, Sheri Van Dijk will teach some essential perspectives and skills to help you and your clients get unstuck in treatment. In this webinar you will learn leading edge, evidence-based principles in the treatment of clients experiencing the sequelae of trauma, including the difference between PTSD and C-PTSD; theories to inform treatment of clients with complex trauma histories; and skills to help clients ground and regulate emotions.

Over 75% of mental illnesses described in the DSM are related to emotion dysregulation – the inability to manage emotions effectively. Given that Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) was initially created to treat Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), of which emotion dysregulation is a primary problem, it only makes sense that DBT would be effective in treating other disorders, and research in recent years is supporting this.

This seminar will provide an overview of the DBT Interpersonal Effectiveness skills. Participants will learn about these skills, looking at the three possible goals in interpersonal situations and how to pair these with assertiveness skills to increase the likelihood of reaching one’s goals; how to think dialectically to improve communication and balance in relationships; the role of mindfulness and behavior theory in improving healthy relationships; and ways to increase relationship satisfaction in clients’ lives.

Over 75% of mental illnesses described in the DSM are related to emotion dysregulation – the inability to manage emotions effectively. Given that Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) was initially created to treat Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), of which emotion dysregulation is a primary problem, it only makes sense that DBT would be effective in treating other disorders, and research in recent years is supporting this. 

This seminar will provide an overview of the DBT Distress Tolerance skills. Participants will learn about these skills, including the Reality Acceptance Skills and the Crisis Survival Skills, and how to help clients with a variety of diagnoses and problems use these skills appropriately and in healthy ways.

Over 75% of mental illnesses described in the DSM are related to emotion dysregulation – the inability to manage emotions effectively. Given that Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) was initially created to treat Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), of which emotion dysregulation is a primary problem, it only makes sense that DBT would be effective in treating other disorders, and research in recent years is supporting this. 

This seminar will provide an overview of the DBT Emotion Regulation skills. Participants will learn about these skills, including briefly reviewing the biosocial theory and how this contributes to problems managing emotions. Many of the emotion regulation skills will be introduced and participants, and there will be discussion regarding how to use these skills with clients with a variety of diagnoses.

At the heart of existential and person-centered therapy lies the profound quest for meaning and fulfillment. Addressing life’s existential questions, such as “What is the meaning of life?” or “How can we cultivate healthier, more meaningful relationships?”, these therapeutic approaches offer powerful frameworks for helping clients navigate both existential and neurotic anxieties. Rooted in philosophy, phenomenology, and the pioneering work of Carl Rogers, existential and person-centered therapies emphasize the importance of choice, authenticity, and personal agency in fostering psychological well-being.
 

This seminar will provide an in-depth exploration of humanistic theory, focusing on the existential foundations of meaning-making and the core principles of person-centered therapy. Through didactic presentation and experiential exercises, participants will learn how to integrate mindfulness, present-centered awareness, and body awareness into clinical practice. Attendees will gain valuable insights into how these therapeutic approaches can be effectively applied to address a variety of client concerns, including those related to social justice, ultimately enhancing therapeutic outcomes and client engagement.

This webinar provides a research and practice update on Alzheimer’s disease, with a focus on (1) new treatments, (2) diagnostic guidelines that rely heavily upon biomarkers and enable asymptomatic detection and diagnosis, and (3) growing prevention science. This workshop will use the 2021 APA Guidelines for the Assessment of Dementia and Age-Related Cognitive Decline as a framework to guide clinicians in navigating these developments and will provide attendees with a broad overview of Alzheimer’s disease and the psychologist’s role in assessment and intervention. The workshop describes an emerging practice opportunity for helping older adult and middle-aged clients to navigate a rapidly changing landscape.